Open end ratchet wrenches



July 5, 1955 H. L. FlsH 2,712,257

OPEN END RATCHET WRENCHES Filed Dec. 5, 1951 Z 1a 40 a4 30 af uny` l lf f nik A f; f4 2+" f4 40 36 'W ff M )Yukai FM,

1N V EN TOR.

United States Patent O OPEN END RATCHET WRENCHES @riginal application April 27, 1945, Serial No. 590,577, now Patent No. 2,578,686, dated December 18, 1951.

Divided and this application December 5, 1951, Serial l 8 Claims. (Cl. 81--62) This invention relates to wrenches and more particularly to open end ratchet wrenches for operatively turning threaded connecting devices for sections of pipe while the devices form elements of a conduit.

This application is a divisio-n of my parent application, Serial No. 590,577, led April 27, 1945, entitled Split Ratchet Socket Wrenc which issued on December 18, 1951, as Patent No. 2,578,686 and is a continuation-inpart of my abandoned application Serial No. 531,325, tiled April 17, 1944, entitled Split Ratchet Socket Wrench for B Nuts.

Wrenches of this kind usually have been made with a slotted socket element revolubly mounted in a slotted end of a handle member and were revolved by some means such as a ratchet mechanism mounted in the handle.

Wrenches of the so-called split socket type need to be capable of withstanding hard service and severe strains at times. nut or the like by a socket element that will no-t have a strong tendency to slippartly off the nut and chew up i. e. damage its outer surface. As far as applicant is aware, none of the split socket wrenches heretofore proposed has reached a commercial status. Their designs were such as did not make for the economical manufacture of a strong and satisfactory wrench. Also, these wrenches had no means for holding their socket elements in fully operative engagement with the nuts on a continuous conduit, and the sockets could easily damage a nut. Moreover, each of these proposed prior split socket wrenches was suitable for use with but one size and shape, i. e. cross-sectional contour, of a threaded connecting device such as a B nut.

One object of my invention is to provide split socket wrench means which may be used satisfactorily for turning a plurality of B nuts or the like each of a different size or shapev from the others.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a split socket wrench having means for assuring that there is no appreciable tendency for the socket element of the wrench to slip off a nut while turning it.

In the construction and maintenance of aircraft of various kinds, many B nuts and the like are used in the connection of pipes employed in hydraulic control mechanism and for other purposes. Many of such nuts, as will be Well understood by those skilled in the art, cannot be operated satisfactorily by ratchet wrenches as heretofore constructed. The use of ordinary wrenches on such B nuts is slow and sometimes objectionable because of the little space often available for using such a wrench without danger of it striking and damaging some other parts of the aircraft which are often made of light materials not adapted to be struck forcibly by metal objects such as wrench handles.

Another object of my invention is to provide an irnproved wrench with which B nuts or the like in a continuous pipe system can be quickly and satisfactorily revolved.

It is often desirable in aircraft construction to place Also, they should be capable of turning a B a plurality of continuous hydraulic control pipes as close to each other as is practical in order to conserve much valued space. Even with split socket wrenches as herctofore constructed, a material amount of space adjacent a control pipe in an aircraft was: often required for operating such a ratchet-drive split socket wrench on B nuts.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved, split socket ratchet wrench which is capable of withstanding severe strains and which is operable to turn B nuts and the like in either direction while they are elements of a continuous pipe system of large diameter. p

Still another object is the provision of a split ratchet wrench of economical construction having a step-by-step nut turning movement without employing a relatively expensive ratchet wheel.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view broken away in part of a form of a wrench embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom section taken' along line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a part used in the structure of Figure 1.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate advantageous construction and arrangement of certain parts of the structure of Figure 1, as will appear hereinafter.

In the wrench herein shown, all of the partsexcept the ratchet drive, as will be hereinafter shown, may be of the same construction as the parts described in connection with the embodiment of the wrench illustrated in Figures 15 to 21, inclusive, of my above identified patent. The wrench of the present invention is a ratchet driven, split socket wrench of strong construction having a body with an enlarged head portion 11 provided with an integral cover plate 12 and a bottom cover plate 12 Xed to the body 10 by screws or the like. The outer ends of the cover plates have aligned slots 13 of equal width, the inner portions thereof being concentric and enlarged to receive a socket carrier or hub 14 having an outer tubular portion 15 formed with a longitudinal slot 16 of the same width as the slots 13. The tubular portion 15 is provided with a ball detent 17 for removably mounting a split socket, not shown, but similar to the removable socket 120 of my patent above identied. The socket to be used with the wrench of the present invention, like the socket 120, is rotatably driven with the hub.

For driving the socket carrier or hub 14, ratchet teeth 18 are formed about the periphery of the same and these teeth are drivingly engaged by the p-awl devices of the present invention. In this arrangement instead of employing two sets of pawls for the ratchet drive, two pawl devices are used, each having the same form and construction.

They comprise stub shaft oscillatable members and 31, each having a forwardly disposed face 32 and at each side of this face is provided a tooth member 33 strongly and integrally joined to the shaft. Each of the shafts 3() and 31 may be seated in a mounting hole 34, having a round inclosing wall element except opposite the hollowed out face 32. For pressing one tooth of each of the shafts 30 and 31 into operative driving engagement with the teeth 18, a pin 35 for each shaft has its inner end portion disposed in a hole 36 provided in an arcuate slidable ring member or yoke 37 (Figure 4) lyingagainst the cover plate 12 and extending partly below (as viewed in Figure 4) the shafts 30 and 31. A compression spring 38 around each pin 35 presses it against a bottom of a groove element 40 across each shaft (see Figure 3). For reversing the direction of the drive of the hub 14 substantially the same yoke shift means may be employed as are described for use with the form of the wrench illustrated in Figures 15 to 21` inclusive, of my above identied patent. In this shift means, a short shaft 21 is rotatably mounted within the head 11 with the one end thereof extending beyond the cover plate 12. Fixed to this extending end is an arm 24 which is manually actuated to rock the shaft 21. The opposite or inner end of the shaft 21 carries a radially extending lever arm 22, the free end of which is formed with a rounded protuberance or knob 22a which engages in a notch 19 formed medially of the ring or yoke 37. This yoke is similar to the yoke device 145 of my previously issued patent and like yoke 145 is employed to reverse the direction of drive of the hub.

It will be seen that when the arm 24 is swung, the shaft 21 is rocked to move the lever arm 22, and this movement of the arm 22 through engagement of the knob 22a in the notch l?, brings about arcuate movement of the yoke 37. As the inner end portions of the pins 35 are mounted to the yoke 37, the pins move with the yoke to shift the opposite ends of the pins longi tudinally of the groove element 4G. As the pins move longitudinally of the grooves 40 of the shafts 30 and 31, each shaft is cammed or rotatably driven a distance suicient to move the one tooth member 33 out of engagement with the teeth 1S as the opposed tooth element is moved into engagement with the teeth 18. A round integral knob-like element 4i on each of the shafts 30 and 31 may be positioned coaxial therewith and fit snugly in a cooperative recess 42 provided in the .top plate 12 to serve as a pivot for the pawl carrying stub shafts 3i) and 31.

Upon occasion, working space and illumination are restricted so that it is dithcult for the user to see when the tube receiving slots, such as the radial slots 13 and 16 in Figure l are in alignment so that the wrench can be removed from a continuous conduit or pipe system.

To solve this problem a headed pin 43 may be mounted f for slidable movement in a hole through the cover plate 12 and is normally pressed outwardly by a coil spring 44 so that the lower end of the pin does not normally project beyond the inner face of the side plate 12. A shallow recess 45 is made in the sleeve 2t) opposite the center of slot 16 and passes under the pin as the sleeve revolves. The pin 43 is positioned diametrically opposite the slot 13. By pressing lightly on pin 43 with one hand of the user as the other hand oscillates the wrench or revolves the socket directly, engagement of the pin 43 in the recess 45 will stop the turning of the sleeve 2t) with the slots 13 and 16 in alignment.

I claim:

l. A socket wrench comprising a` body having an open slot at one end, a hub rotatable in said body and if formed with an open slot, gripping means co-acting between said body and said hub whereby said hub may be forcibly rotated, co-axial recesses on said hub and said body each axially aligned with the respective slots and a resiliently controlled pin in the body recess and i engageable with the hub recess when the respective slots are in alignment.

2. A wrench comprising a body, a cylindrical recess in said body, a hub rotatable in said recess and including means for replaceably mounting a nut engaging means for rotation therewith, at least one cylindrical pawl recess in said body having an axis parallel with the axis of said hub, the peripheral boundary of said pawl recess intersecting the peripheral boundary of said hub recess, a single series of ratchet teeth formed about the periphery of said hub, a substantially cylindrical stub shaft freely rotatable in said pawl recess, a portion of the periphery of said stub shaft being; cut away to form a pair of transversely spaced, oppositely disposed pawls, adapted to be selectively projected into said hub recess for operative engagement with said single series of teeth by rotation of said stub shaft, cam means for rotating said stub shaft in opposite directions to selectively control the projection of respective pawls, spring means for retractably biasing a projected pawl into operative engagement with the hub teeth, and manually operable means carried by said body for actuating said cam means.

3. A wrench comprising a body, a cylindrical recess in said body, a hub rotatable in said recess and including means for replaceably mounting a nut engaging means for rotation therewith, a pair of cylindrical pawl recesses in said body coaxially spaced around said hub recess, the peripheral boundaries of said pawl recesses intersecting the peripheral boundary of said hub recess, a single series of ratchet teeth formed about the periphery of said hub, substantially cylindrical stub shafts freely rotatable in respective pawl recesses, a portion of the periphery of each stub shaft being cut away to form a pair of transversely spaced, oppositely disposed pawls, adapted to be selectively projected into said hub recess for operative engagement with said single series of teeth by rotation of respective stub shafts, cam means' for rotating said stub shafts to selectively control the projection ot' respective pawls, separate spring means for retractably biasing the projected pawls into operative engagement with the hub teeth at peripherally spaced points, and a manual control for actuating said cam means.

4. A wrench comprising a body, a cylindrical recess in said body, a hub rotatable in said recess and including means for replaceably mounting a nut engaging means for rotation therewith, a pair of cylindrical pawl recesses in said body coaxially spaced around said hub recess, the peripheral boundaries of said pawl recesses intersecting the peripheral boundary of said hub recess, a series of ratchet teeth on the periphery of said hub, substantially cylindrical stub shafts freely rotatable in respective pawl recesses, a portion of the periphery of each stub shaft being cut away to form a pair of transverseiy spaced, oppositely disposed pawls, adapted to be selectively projected into said hub recess for operative engagement with the hub teeth by rotation of said stub shafts, cam means for rotating said stub shafts to selectively control the projection of respective pawls, spring means for retractably biasing the projected pawls into operative engagement with the hub teeth, a reduced concentric shank at one end of said hub, an arcuate yoke rotatably engaging said shank adjacent said stub shafts and shiftable between Y the latter, radial projections 0n said yoke and shiftable therewith for operatively engaging respective cam means on said stub shafts and a manual control for actuating said yoke.

5. A wrench as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cam means comprises a transverse slot in each stub shaft, engageable by respective yoke projections to rotatably cam the stub shafts.

6. A wrench as claimed in claim 5 wherein said spring biasing means are carried by and shiftable with said yoke.

7. An open ended ratchet type socket wrench, comprising: a body member including a hollow radially slotted head portion and a handle element extending therefrom, said head portion having an annular bore communicating With the inner end of the slot of said head portion; a hub member having annular 4guide surfaces engaging and coacting with the wall of said bore for mounting and supporting said hub member within said bore for rotative movement, said hub having an opening formed with a wall concentric with the axis of rotation of the hub and having a slot extending from the periphery thereof into said opening and adapted to register with the slot in the head portion in one rotative position of the hub member; a single series of ratchet teeth circumferentially formed about said hub member; pawl means mounted within said hollow head portion for movement between alternate positions within said head portion, said pawl means having a pair of teeth-engaging members integral therewith alternately engaged respectively with said ratchet teeth depending on the position of said pawl means to rotate said hub member in one direction or the other depending upon the position of said pawl means; means mounted within said hollow head portion and op- References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 671,789 Borgeson Apr. 9, 1901 6 Donavon June 30, 1903 Dotson Mar. 27, 1906 Hitt Apr. 29, 1913 Millen July 11, 1922 Gagne Nov. 12, 1935 Cronan May 22, 1945 Fish Dec. 18, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 2, 1875 

